"Of course, as the Pope, you cannot openly oppose Spain, as that would put you in an extremely disadvantageous position. Covert hostile actions are even more inappropriate, as that is clearly not your strong suit, and the Spanish are very good at it. Moreover, once the matter is exposed, it will damage your glorious image and cause incalculable losses," Ferdinand lectured persuasively.
Augustus listened intently, nodding occasionally in agreement. He thought to himself: 'He's sincere enough; at least he didn't try to completely screw me over right away.'
"You are right, but what exactly should I do? How can I avoid standing against Spain, effectively curb Spain's threat, and not harm the Catholic power?" Augustus displayed a strong desire for knowledge, though he already had the answer in his heart.
Based on Augustus's understanding of Ferdinand I, whose fate was sealed, he could already guess Ferdinand's purpose in summoning him this time with high accuracy.
"I cannot say too much about what exactly to do; in fact, it is beyond my capabilities. I can only suggest that you refer to the various measures taken by previous Popes. They are the most worthy of study and emulation, and that will certainly be of great benefit to you."
"Indeed, I thought so too. To be frank, I have already studied and researched a great deal."
Augustus observed that Ferdinand's expression remained unchanged, so he continued to remind him: "The second Pope from our family, two before me, Clement VII, intended to change the political balance in the region, so he supported France to break free from the Holy Roman Empire's dominance.
However, he turned Italy into a battlefield, and during the conflict between Charles V and the League of Cognac from 1526-1529, he brought about the world-shocking Sack of Rome.
In the treaty signed afterward: the Pope paid 400,000 ducats to the imperial army and ceded Piacenza, Parma, Modena, and Ostia to Charles. After news of Rome's fall spread, the Duchy of Ferrara seized the opportunity to take Reggio and Modena; the Venice Republic occupied Ravenna.
That year, the citizens of Tuscany also took advantage of the Sack of Rome to overthrow the Medici Family's rule. It was only after Clement VII and Charles V reconciled that the Medici Family returned to Florence with Charles's military assistance.
He wanted to break free from Spain's control but ended up shooting himself in the foot, ceding territory and paying indemnities, ultimately becoming even more dependent on Spain. This should not be considered a positive example, should it?"
Ferdinand was about to say not to criticize the mistakes of predecessors, but then he remembered that he had just told Augustus to refer to the actions of previous Popes. Augustus finding this reference was truly too fitting. He had to swallow his words, realizing he too had shot himself in the foot, Ferdinand thought with a bitter smile.
"Yes, you are right. Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. We must firmly remember the lessons of our predecessors!" Ferdinand quickly changed his tune.
"While the experiences of our predecessors can certainly be drawn upon, some matters still require us to figure them out ourselves, don't they?"
"Exactly! We must figure things out ourselves, neither rushing forward recklessly nor hesitating." Ferdinand deeply agreed.
"Before you state your plan, first tell me your understanding of the situation," Augustus suggested.
Ferdinand was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "Good, good! I was just thinking the same thing."
With that, Ferdinand unexpectedly pulled out a map from somewhere and led Augustus to a nearby stone table, spreading it out flat.
Augustus glanced at the map; there were quite a few inaccuracies, especially in Asia and America, where the accuracy was even worse than the map he first saw in the Papal States.
However, it was clear Ferdinand wasn't there for him to correct the map, so he naturally didn't need to say more. In fact, there was only one copy of his revised map in the entire world. Large blank areas remained where he himself couldn't recall the details. Aside from himself, anyone else who saw it would probably just assume he had scribbled randomly.
"Spain, already possessing vast colonies, after uniting with Portugal, virtually monopolized all existing colonies. England and France are also colonizing, but they are just starting, and whether they can further develop is still unknown; their power in the colonies is far from enough to compete with Spain.
The Netherlands can rapidly establish numerous colonies due to some conveniences, but this is because Spain's focus is still on preventing the Netherlands' independence. Once Spain abandons hope of restoring its rule over the Netherlands and instead seizes the Netherlands' colonies, the Netherlands will be utterly defenseless.
Therefore, outside of Europe, neither we nor England and France, nor any other European country, can contend with Spain. Like England, disguised as pirates plundering Spain's treasure ships and merchant vessels can indeed cause some losses to Spain, but that is all, and the cost is enormous.
We cannot pose a threat to Spain outside of Europe, nor do we need to, because there we have no conflict of interest with Spain; on the contrary, there can be much cooperation. We are not the ones who should be anxious.
And in Europe, in addition to holding the Iberian Peninsula, Spain also occupies the Netherlands region and the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan in the Italy region, and is a natural ally with Austria as part of the Habsburg Family.
In the Netherlands region, the Dutch War of Independence is in full swing. The Dutch people's desire for independence is very strong, and they hold a home advantage, repeatedly inflicting heavy losses on Spain's army. With the help of England and France, keeping Spain contained is not a problem. The Dutch War is a quagmire; for us, the best situation is to neither let Spain win the war nor let the Netherlands become completely independent, thus freeing Spain…"
Under the moonlight, facing the map, Ferdinand began to speak voluminously, as if pouring out all his lifelong knowledge. This gave Augustus a sense of déjà vu.
When he reached a crucial point, Ferdinand's voice rose several octaves: "And in the Italy region, forces capable of contending with Spain are almost non-existent. Furthermore, with control over the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan, Spain's projection capability here is far superior to that in the Netherlands, even capable of assembling an army sufficient to sweep away most enemies on the spot.
The crux of the problem lies here: Spain's ambitions in Italy are not satisfied with Naples and Milan. And for us to secure our independent status and seek further development, we must respond to Spain's threat, and if the opportunity is right, even take the initiative. We must find a way to make Spain completely withdraw from the Italy region and restore Italy to the Italians themselves."
"A Spain out of Italy is a good Spain," Augustus said with a chuckle.
"Exactly." Ferdinand grew more animated, this was his decades-long aspiration, "I've thought through the specifics. It's certainly impossible for Spain to give up Italy for no reason. We can't beat Spain out, even with France, and that's not even considering Austria likely siding with Spain.
Therefore, my suggestion is to find a way to make Naples and Milan independent. There is some possibility of this; if Spain judges the Netherlands to be more important and sees hope for victory, such a result would also be acceptable to everyone."
"Good idea! What do you need me to do?" Augustus was also tempted; this method was theoretically feasible. It was just that in practice, Ferdinand alone hadn't been able to achieve it, but now the situation was very different.
"I hope you can provide some appropriate assistance to Spain, to keep the war in the Netherlands going and to let Spain see hope for victory. I will handle the unsavory matters, and from then on, we will have to decide based on the situation. We can contact each other again when needed."
"One more thing," Augustus added, "We must also strengthen our own power. If our own power is insufficient, anything we say or do is futile! Countless past lessons tell me that at critical moments, we must rely on ourselves. Self-reliance is the hard truth."
"Well said! Whatever plans you have, I will fully cooperate," Ferdinand immediately understood Augustus's meaning.
"Good, we'll talk when the time is right. I'm also happy to assist you with anything you need."